Novartis, a drug company that manufactures hydroxychloroquine, paid Michael Cohen $1.2m for “health care consulting” shortly after Trump was inaugurated.
What a mystery. We may never get to the bottom of why the huckster in chief is touting this drug.
Well, I don’t trust our leaders, at least at the federal level, and that’s primarily because of who other people chose to vote for. But that’s neither here nor there. I do live in a democracy, though not in a direct democracy, and my decisions on who to vote for are based on my understanding of facts. If I thought, for example, that tax cuts on the rich paid for themselves in economic growth, I might vote differently. But I don’t believe that, because despite not being an economist, I am literate and can understand economic ideas and data to a sufficient depth to make voting decisions based on them. I can also make decisions about who I think is most competent to the lead the nation in a pandemic emergency, given appropriate factual data. I could not do so - nor could anyone else - in the absence of such data. Which is not to say that some folks in my democracy vote without understanding facts or doing critical thinking, but I choose not to operate that way.
Zithromax has 3 potential ways it could help. It reduces bacterial infection in patients susceptible to this, it has anti-inflammatory action, and it acts on the ribosomal RNA viruses use to produce proteins (though how much this helps in coronavirus is unclear, maybe not too much).
There is some risk of increasing resistance. However, in isolated patients the risk of mutated viruses spreading may be less. I hope they reserve this moonshot for sicker patients.
Is it wise? Given over 60% of all antibiotics are given to animals (for food production), which is terribly dangerous for developing resistance; given a huge percentage of antibiotics are given for usually viral conditions like sinusitis, given a propensity to use antibiotics which are too strong rather than the weakest effective one… frankly, I think it’s a drop in the bucket.
Not too surprised by this , from twitter
Ohio lawmaker
@RepGalonski
says she is making a criminal referral today to the International Criminal Court for Trump to be charged with crimes against humanity over his hydroxychloroquine promotion.
Is this one of those new party pack games?
Even more worrisome is that Ghouliani is touting it as well. If that fucking know-nothing troll is pimping for it, I know to stay miles away from it. I’m betting he has an investment stake in it.
“A Democratic state representative from Detroit is crediting hydroxychloroquine — and Republican President Donald Trump who touted the drug — for saving her in her battle with the coronavirus.”
Believe does not equal reality. It can be helpful through some rather convoluted means but you may as well just use sugar. It’s cheaper and gives some calories.
AFAIK, Trump has never said that this thing was a cure. He has never said that it is scientifically helpful. He said that he was “hopeful” after hearing anecdotal evidence, and Dr. Fauci agreed that there was anecdotal evidence that it was helpful, but scientifically, that is not enough and it need trials. Trump never said for people to run out and take it or ask their doctors to prescribe it.
I fear this is another symptom of Trump derangement syndrome. If Trump said that there was no medicine out there that might be able to help, I fear that some of his same critics would say that he was being too doom and gloom in this time of panic and should reassure Americans that there are some medicines that have shown anecdotal evidence to be helpful and to stay positive.
He said, “What do you have to lose?”
Well, what you have to lose, potentially, is your life. Some of the documented (rare, but known and documented) side effects of hydroxychloroquine are fatal, but he hasn’t mentioned that little detail. In fact, he explicitly stated, “But the nice part is, it’s been around for a long time, so we know that if it — if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody.” (cite, although he has said substantially the same thing on other occasions.) This is false, wrong, incorrect, and a lie: if things go wrong, it CAN KILL YOU.
What the fuck do you think he was trying to imply? Anyone who isn’t educated in playing word games will think he’s saying it’s a cure.
It’s a good thing then that Donald Trump is not writing my prescriptions. If I cannot trust my doctor not to prescribe something for me that’s going to kill me then I have bigger problems. It is a politician putting a positive spin on something.
He said “a real chance” not run out and take it illegally or beg your doctor to give it to you.
You don’t read quotes, do you? He said it was approved by the FDA as a treatment. As far as the average layman is concerned, that’s the same thing and you damn well know it.
I think we can all agree that, what, 28% of Trump voters will support him if he runs around naked and shits on the White House lawn. But maybe the “persuadables” might get it.
Clearly he screwed up big time on that one and there is no getting around it. But even saying that the FDA approved it does not mean anything. Oxycodone is FDA approved for pain, but that doesn’t mean that because of these middle aged aches and pains that I have I can demand a doctor prescribe it for me. My doctor uses his professional judgment in what to prescribe for my condition. No doctor, AFAIK, says that the President said it was okay and hands me a bowl full of pills.
It just saddens me that people are more worried about scoring political points than about saving lives. 
I spoke to my parents earlier this evening. (They’re doing OK, so far.) My dad said he had just finished watching Hannity interview Dr. Oz, “and he thinks this is a great thing.”
So, in other words, it probably isn’t. :dubious:
In the president’s case, it seems more about getting the stock market back in shape before the election.
If corona disappears entirely on Easter, and Il Douche is credited for it, I will seriously re-examine my disdain for Satanism
Worry not. Cerveza Corona may be out of production but pentagrams probably won’t see increased demand… unless eye of newt is an effective treatment.